Apple may be working on 2 iPhone game controllers and they might carry the Beats name
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The moment you hear the brand name Apple, you automatically associate it with premium products that stand out in the market. But if there is one area where Apple hasn’t been talked-about much, that is, gaming. And that may soon change as the Cupertino-based tech giant is reportedly working on gaming controllers for the iPhone. Yep, you heard that right. Moreover, these controllers may launch under the Beats brand. Apple has not confirmed that either controller is coming, but the software references suggest these may be more than just concepts being tested internally. Read on to know all that is being said.
SurveyGame controllers for the iPhone?
According to a Gadgets360 report, the controllers were reportedly identified by the codenames T6502 and T1057 in the macOS 26.7 release candidate earlier this month. The references were later removed from a subsequent release candidate, but not before details about the two devices emerged.
According to the report, both controllers will have the controls you would expect from a modern gamepad. This includes a D-pad, two thumbsticks, shoulder buttons, analogue triggers, as well as Home and Menu buttons.
The two models are not expected to be identical, though. The T1057 is reportedly equipped with an accelerometer and gyroscope, which means it could detect movement and rotation. The T6502, on the other hand, is said to lack these motion sensors.
Haptic feedback, Beats branding and more
Both controllers are also believed to have haptic feedback hardware, even though the two models reportedly differ in how their vibration systems work.
The software references also included dedicated hardware plug-ins for both devices. That is worth noting because it suggests Apple was building software support specifically for these controllers rather than merely adding generic controller support.
That said, there is still a chance these devices were created for internal testing. Apple has not announced either controller, and the references disappearing from macOS make it impossible to say when, or even if, they will become products.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman additionally says that Apple has been developing the controllers for more than a year and that they are expected to carry the Beats branding. Beats executives are reportedly leading the development.
This would give Apple an interesting way to enter the gaming accessory market without adding another product line directly under the Apple name.
Apple has so far relied on third-party controllers for gaming. The iPhone supports popular gamepads from companies such as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, but Apple has never released its own dedicated game controller. That could change if these two devices make it to market.
What do you think of this update? Let us know and keep watching this space for more such updates.
Also read: Before Control Resonant arrives, here is a look back at Jesse Faden’s story
